


rally

by tanyart



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-16
Updated: 2014-01-16
Packaged: 2018-01-08 22:30:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1138188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tanyart/pseuds/tanyart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chin up, shoulders back, don't cry. (Aftermath of the Interhigh Preliminaries)</p>
            </blockquote>





	rally

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place sometime during chapter 69.

Michimiya has already heard the scores by the time she arrives at the Niiyama High School gymnasium, but it’s by pure coincidence that she runs into Sawamura alone in the hallway.  Voices from the boys’ locker room echo behind him, and there could be a million reasons why Sawamura had stepped outside, but Michimiya has that captain’s instinct she can’t shake off—something she can sense in the quietness of the hallway and see in the downcast line of his gaze.

Before she can call out, Sawamura catches sight of her and his back straightens.  He flashes her a smile, strong and genuine despite everything, and Michimiya feels her chest tighten.  Sawamura amazes her, really, even when her team has already lost the tournament she is still inspired by him, right down to her heart.

“Hey, Michimiya.  Our game just ended,” Sawamura says, walking up to her. 

“I heard! I didn’t get to watch, but I know you guys played hard as hell.”

“It was a real close one,” he says.

There's no trying again. It had been their last shot as third years, and there isn’t going to be a next Interhigh Tournament for them.  If Sawamura’s voice has the tiniest wobble when he speaks, she doesn’t mention it, but it’s not like she can completely ignore it either.

“Hey, you okay?” she asks, and she can already tell he is about to nod and force a grin. 

And maybe she would have let it go if she hadn’t known him for so long. God knows Sawamura has seen her slip up plenty of times, and Michimiya knows Sawamura’s not perfect either.

 She sees him bite his lip, just for a split second before he grins, and it crushes her.

Michimiya doesn’t hesitate.  She brings both her hands to his face, a firm pressure on either side.  His skin is flushed and damp with sweat, but all she feels is the evidence of effort and hours of hard work, proof that he did not falter or give up.  Sawamura starts against her palms but he doesn’t jerk away from her grasp—and that’s instinct too.  She doubts the boys would do this to each other, this different kind of comfort, but right now Sawamura’s just like anyone of her players, just someone who wonders if he should have worked a little harder, put in a little more effort, been a little faster—

“Hey, it’s just between us captains, okay?” she says, feeling his shoulders slump by a fraction.  They’ve been trained to say _us_ and _we_ for so long.  For Sawamura, it might be an ingrained habit by now, so easy and natural he might have forgotten to look out for himself.

Sawamura’s smile holds for one more second, expression crumpling.  He bends his head and brings his arm up over his eyes. “Haha, promise?”

“Of course!”  She wants to say it’s okay to be a little selfish for a moment, to say _I_ or _me_ just this once.  There aren’t any other players around and there is no one but her to hear him.  She relaxes her hold, letting Sawamura hang his head and clench his fists.  “You did good.  I’m proud of you.”

She doesn’t expect Sawamura to sob and break down in tears.  He doesn’t, but he still cries, quiet and muffled against his arm.  Michimiya stands in front of him, a barrier and a shield to keep the world from seeing how even the most dependable and stalwart captains need a moment to themselves.

 “But I wanted to win,” Sawamura says, so sharp and quick it almost comes out as a snarl.  His voice softens, leveling out with only a few hitches. “I wanted to win so bad. I wanted to go to nationals.”

Michimiya feels her eyes prickle at the corners.  She knows.  “Yeah.  It’s disappointing. And I hate it, I hate that we both didn’t make it.”

Sawamura sniffs.  He passes a hand over his eyes, wiping away the tears she did not even see, and gives her a smile that’s still shaky, but at least it isn’t forced.  He exhales, breathing steady once more, and she hears the relief in his sigh.  “So you cried too, huh?”

“Oh, yeah.” Michimiya finally lets go of him though she gives his shoulders a final squeeze.  “Like a baby in the locker rooms, all over my jersey too.”

“Heh, gross,” Sawamura says, looking pretty gross himself.  His eyes are red-rimmed and puffy at the edges.  He holds up well though, even with a little drip from his nose.

Michimiya wonders what Sawamura will do after this.  She can’t imagine him not playing volleyball.  There are a million things they are going to have to sort out.  They won’t be captains forever, after all. Rosters will change, and their teams will adjust. 

She talks to him about other things, though, while he collects himself and wipes his nose.

“Coach Ukai is treating us to dinner,” Sawamura says after a moment.  “I suppose I gotta get it together before then.”

He’s a great captain, really, but definitely not a stoic one.  Michimiya gives him a fond punch on the arm.  “You know it’s okay for the captain to cry, even a little.”

“Oh, I know. I just need to be one who cries _less_ ,” Sawamura says, snickering as he rubs his arm.  “The whole team’s going to be bawling anyway.”

Michimiya can only imagine.  “Then you have nothing to worry about, eh?”

“Thanks,” Sawamura mutters, almost sarcastic except for the way he puts his hand on her shoulder and gives it a small shake.  “I mean it.  Thank you.”

He still looks like a tired mess, but it’s not going to be in front of his team and it’s nothing a good shower can’t fix. 

It might have been a little late, but Michimiya thinks that maybe she’s finally done something for him in return.  She grins.

 “Just between us captains, right?” she says, giving him a push towards the locker room.

“Just us captains,” he agrees, and strides into the room without looking back.


End file.
